Man charged with illegal fishing activities in Waterford

A Bristol man was charged Friday with illegal fishing activities in Long Island Sound off Waterford, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced.

Jose Medina, 22, was charged by DEEP Environmental Conservation Police for fishing with a suspended licenses, possession of bluefish in excess of the creel limit, possession of tautog and striped bass below the legal size, and possession of an outboard motor with a defaced factory or engine number.

His fishing privileges are under suspension until Sept. 30 due to previous convictions.

Acting on a complaint, EnCon officers discovered a striped bass, scup and several bluefish contained in a cooler on the boat’s deck along with fishing equipment. They also found that the vessel was not legally registered, his motor vehicle operator’s license was suspended and the pickup truck he was operating had an expired registration, DEEP said in a news release.

The vessel and its contents were seized as evidence. During an inventory of the seized vessel, officers discovered an additional 20 bluefish, 6 tautog (blackfish) and a striped bass in a hidden compartment under the deck, DEEP said. In addition, the outboard motor did not have any factory engine (serial) number.

Medina was released on a promise to appear with a court date of July 8 in New London Superior Court.